STOREY'S GRAND PRIX PERFORMANCE DRAWS PRAISE
The fourth place finish by young Auckland international Dominic Storey in the weekend's New Zealand Grand Prix race at Invercargill's Teretonga Park has drawn wide praise.
And fair enough says the man who ran him, Team Automotion team boss Craig Russell.
"The thing that really impressed me with Dominic," says Russell, "was his approach."He was hungry. He wanted to do this and he made the most of every opportunity."
Storey was a surprise last-minute entrant in the New Zealand Grand Prix meeting, the 17-year-old Aucklander having only decided to do the event 10 days before.
Previously he had only raced a kart in New Zealand, having made his single-seater debut at the first round of the 2006 Formula BMW Asia series at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia a year ago.
The youngster made quite an impression in Asia last year, and after finishing sixth overall and fourth in the Rookie of The Year standings accepted an offer to test for the 2006 British Formula 3 Championship-winning team Raikkonen-Robertson Racing.
That test led to an offer to return to the UK this year to take up a position with the team testing and - where possible - competing in selected rounds of the 2007 Formula BMW UK series.
It was because he hadn't even sat in a single-seater since October last year that he organised a session in Team Automotion's Formula Renault at Ruapuna a fortnight ago - though Russell says that you would hard-pressed to notice.
"He did 65 laps and at that point I suggested that rather than doing any more by himself he would be better off running with some other cars," says Russell.
Hence the day he spent in one of Team Automotion's Toyotas at Timaru, and the decision to tackle the Grand Prix at Teretonga Park.
Having seen a number of promising young drivers, some with lots of single-seater experience, others with very little, enter the Toyota Racing Series, Russell says that with the right approach a place in the top 10 is not out of the question.
"If they are prepared to listen and do as they are told it's not impossible, " he says."But only the very special ones can run in the top four."
"That four," says Russell, "is pretty much the same at every meeting. The order might change but the names are the same. Outside of that four it is really brutal. So for Dominic to join his other two teammates in the top ten during qualifying was a very special moment, both for me personally, and for Team Automotion."
Storey qualified seventh then finished eighth in the first race, seventh in the second and fourth in the 40-lap Grand Prix, to end up fourth overall, just one step off the podium, for the round.
In doing so he beat a number of highly rated Toyota Racing Series regulars and spent most of the weekend in company with top Australian driver David Besnard, a former US FF2000 class champion whose last single-seater drive was in a Champ Car at the annual street race meeting at Surfers Paradise.
Having had a couple of days to savour the experience Storey says he still can't stop smiling when he thinks about it.
"It was the first real opportunity for me to drive a car in New Zealand and I really wanted to show people here what I can do."
Having now driven a 1.2 litre Formula BMW, 2.0 litre Formula Renualt and 2.0 litre Formula 3, Storey says that he had no trouble adapting to the 1.8 litre Toyota Racing Series car; though there are differences.
"The Toyota is sprung a lot softer than a Formula 3 car and it moves around a lot more. It took me a little while to get used to the bumps here too. The tracks in Asia are newer so in general terms they are a lot smoother."
And how did he feel after the Grand Prix's 40 hard, fast laps.
"Like brand new," he says, attributing his race fitness to the oppressive humidity he had to get used to in Asia last year, and the punishing fitness regime that is part of the Formula BMW curriculum.
"It's obviously toughened me up, because, seriously, I felt like I could do another 40 laps."
Storey's campaign over the Grand Prix weekend had the support of sponsors Hanover Finance, Isola, Castle & Brown Solicitors, Southpac Group, Pacific Point Fiji and Hiab Services.
The 17-year-old rising star now has just over a month back in Auckland before heading to the UK to take up his testing contract with the Raikkonen-Robertson Formula 3 team,
Prepared by FAST COMPANY on behalf of Dominic Storey. To find out more about Dominic contact Ross MacKay on 021 677 919 or via e-mail on ross@fastcompany.co.nz
